As expected, although James Howard does not believe in fate, he is someone who cares about saving face, so when he heard William Thompson's last words, a hesitant expression appeared on his face.

Beside him, Richard Thompson looked even more worried and asked, “Jie’er, did that fortune-teller really say that?”

“Of course, otherwise how could I possibly curse myself?” William Thompson replied with a bitter smile, though in his heart he was already planning to coordinate his story with Edward Clark tomorrow, to avoid being exposed in the future.

Seeing that William Thompson didn’t seem to be lying, Richard Thompson finally made up his mind, turned to James Howard and said, “Brother Hu, I think Jie’er makes sense. There are some things we’d rather believe than not, so let’s postpone the wedding until the second half of next year!”

When James Howard saw that both Richard Thompson and his son said so, he couldn’t insist any further. In the end, he slapped the table and said, “Fine, we’ll wait until next year. But during this time, my good son-in-law, you must take care of your health and absolutely must not have any more accidents!”

Upon hearing this, William Thompson naturally agreed readily. After all, as long as James Howard didn’t force him to get married now, it was fine. As for the second half of next year—who knew what would happen by then? If his plan succeeded, that would be best; if it failed, he might already be dead and dismembered by then. He wondered if anyone would even collect his body after he died.

With the main business settled, Richard Thompson and William Thompson accompanied James Howard to drink. James Howard was a rough man, and the type who risked his life for wine. With the father and son urging him on, he ended up completely drunk, swaying and staggering. Richard Thompson had to send two servants to carry him to his carriage and see him off.

Richard Thompson had also drunk a few more cups. After sending off James Howard, he had William Thompson sit down again and said, “Jie’er, don’t be fooled by James Howard’s burly appearance. Your mother has met his daughter, and she really is a virtuous and beautiful girl, a perfect match for you. You don’t need to worry about that!”

William Thompson suffered in silence. Even if James Howard’s daughter were a fairy descended to earth, he still couldn’t marry her, so he could only force a bitter smile and say, “I’ll leave everything to Father’s decision!”

Seeing how obedient William Thompson was, Richard Thompson felt a bit emotional. He reached out and patted his shoulder again, saying, “Your father came from humble beginnings and has no great abilities, so I can’t find you a daughter from a wealthy family. But James Howard isn’t bad—he’s a commander in the Jinyiwei. Although the Jinyiwei have been suppressed in recent years, they still have a fearsome reputation. With the Hu family’s connections in the future, I won’t have to worry about you being bullied outside!”

“Uncle Hu is in the Jinyiwei!” William Thompson was shocked when he heard this. He had thought James Howard was just an ordinary commander in the capital garrison, but he hadn’t expected him to be part of the famous Jinyiwei!

But William Thompson quickly recovered from his shock and immediately asked, “Father, what do you mean by saying the Jinyiwei have been suppressed?”

“This is a long story, and it even involves the palace, so we can only discuss it privately between us. You must never spread it!” Richard Thompson first cautioned William Thompson a few times, and then began to talk about the Jinyiwei.

The predecessor of the Jinyiwei was called the Gongwei Si, later renamed the Imperial Guard Command. At first, it was only responsible for guarding Zhu Yuanzhang and similar duties, but later its functions expanded to include intelligence gathering and arresting criminals.

But what really brought the Jinyiwei to the forefront was the famous “Hu Weiyong case.” During the handling of this case, the Jinyiwei’s agents were dispatched everywhere, arresting officials involved in the case, and in the end, more than thirty thousand people were executed.

Besides the “Hu Weiyong case,” two other major cases in the early Ming—the “Empty Seal” case and the “Guo Huan” case—had also broken out, with the Jinyiwei as the main force in handling them. However, just a couple of years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that the Jinyiwei’s power was too great and even a bit out of control, so he began to limit their authority, stripping some judicial powers from them and handing them over to the courts. As a result, the Jinyiwei had been on the decline in recent years.

After listening to Richard Thompson, William Thompson suddenly remembered that the Jinyiwei had indeed been suppressed in its early days. But three years later, the Lan Yu case would break out, and the Jinyiwei would be used by Zhu Yuanzhang again, raising their blood-soaked embroidered spring blades. But that was also the last glory of the Jinyiwei in the Hongwu era. After the Lan Yu case ended, the Jinyiwei was once again sidelined, until Zhu Di seized power and used them again, making the Jinyiwei a constant presence throughout the Ming dynasty’s history.

“Jie’er, I originally hoped you could study and earn a title, but now I’ve thought it through. If you don’t want to study in the future, let Brother Hu help you get a position in the Jinyiwei. With his support, that’s a good path too.” In the end, Richard Thompson grasped William Thompson’s hand, his expression solemn as he spoke again.

Richard Thompson had once hoped his son would become successful, which was why he had tried every means to send William Thompson to the Imperial Academy, even going so far as to ask Samuel Thompson for help. But after William Thompson’s recent illness, he suddenly realized that as long as William Thompson could live healthily, that was more important than anything.

“Thank you, Father. I understand!” William Thompson thought to himself with a bitter smile—what future did the Li family really have?

Although Richard Thompson wasn’t drunk, he had still had a few more drinks, so William Thompson helped him back to the inner quarters to rest. When Lady Li saw him, she couldn’t help but complain, “That man named Hu was never any good. If you ask me, this marriage should have been called off long ago. I can’t believe you still drank with him—I really don’t know what you were thinking!”

“Call it off?” William Thompson looked curious when he heard his mother’s words and asked, “Mother, why should we call it off?”